Apparatus and method for repetitive training of golf swing with virtual reality

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for repetitively training a golf swing is disclosed. In some embodiments of the present apparatus, foot placement guides are provided to align a golfer&#39;s stance relative to a golf ball on a tee. Motion and other data capture create a swing profile for the golfer&#39;s swing, which is compared to the swing of a golf Pro, thus giving swing feedback to the golfer. The apparatus automatically resets the ball position after the swing, allowing the golfer to repeat the swing based on the received feedback while isolating other variables (such as inaccurate resetting of foot position).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to the Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 16/155,490, filed Oct. 9, 2018, and entitledAPPARATUS AND METHOD TO TRAIN FOR REPETITIVE GOLF SWING as acontinuation, which in turn claims priority to the Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/569,890, filed Oct. 9, 2017, and entitledAPPARATUS AND METHOD TO TRAIN FOR REPETITIVE GOLF SWING. The contents ofeach of the heretofore claimed matters are relied upon and incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for providingrepetitive training of a golf swing.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

People of all ages love golf, both as a competitive sport and asrecreation. Regardless of a player's motivation to play golf, the playerwill usually wish to improve the player's skill at the game. Thisrequires proper training, which can come in generally three nonexclusiveforms: (1) instruction in the proper mechanics of movement (e.g., anideal golf swing); (2) feedback to identify differences between theideal mechanics and the actual mechanics by the athlete; and (3)repetition of skills, either to reinforce the “muscle memory” of theathlete with respect to ideal mechanics, and/or to increase endurance.

Golf may be taken up by players at substantially any age, at least at anonprofessional skill level of play, and does not necessarily requireextensive training if the player is more interested in recreation thancompetition. However, there exists a risk that a player who takes up asport without sufficient training may acquire muscle memories ofnon-ideal mechanics. Such muscle memories may be difficult to unlearn.

It is undesirable to attain muscle memories of bad mechanics becausegolf depends heavily upon the mechanics of certain movements, such as aninitial drive of a golf ball from a tee. Compared to a poorly drivengolf ball, a well driven golf ball struck using ideal mechanics maytravel many tens of yards farther, or travel a straighter path, or havea preferred amount of spin to control “bite”. Yet, golf players who takeup the sport and want to play at a competitive level often do not haveaccess to adequate training facilities to learn and incorporate theideal mechanics.

Therefore, what is needed is an improved method and apparatus for golftraining that addresses the shortcomings identified above.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure include methodsand apparatus to provide training of a repetitive sporting motion, basedupon an instructor example.

One general aspect includes An apparatus to provide training for arepetitive sporting motion, including: a first subsystem, which includesa display positioned to receive impact from a first ball that has beenlaunched from a ball positioning apparatus, and which display also showsan image visible to a first person. The image may relate to theinstructor example. The first subsystem also includes a motion captureapparatus to capture multiple sequential sporting motions by the firstperson, as well as a motion detector to track a first body motion of thefirst person during a first sporting motion interacting with the firstball at a set position. Additionally, the first subsystem includes aprocessor coupled to a database, the processor programmed to save acaptured motion path based upon the first body motion, an identificationof the image and an identification of the first body motion.Importantly, the first subsystem also includes a ball reset apparatus topresent the first ball in the set position and to provide a second ballin the set position based upon removal of the first ball from the setposition and impacting the display resulting from the first body motion.The first subsystem also includes the processor is additionallyoperative to receive from the motion detector a tracking of a secondbody motion interacting with the second ball at the set position. Otherembodiments of this aspect include corresponding computer systems,apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computerstorage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the methods.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thesystem may additionally include a communication link to a secondsubsystem, in which the second subsystem includes: a display to show theimage to a second person; a motion display to show a motion to thesecond person; a motion capture apparatus to capture a sporting motionby the second person, responsive to an image; and a comparison apparatusto compare the sporting motion by the first person with the sportingmotion by the second person. The system may additionally include one ormore swing guide discs placed proximate to the first person. The systemadditionally includes a foot placement guide. In an additionalembodiment, the foot placement guide includes a mat, a first and asecond string removably attached to the mat, and where the first stringis placed at approximately a ninety degree angle with respect to thesecond string. The foot placement guide may further include one or morebeads fixedly attached to one or more of: the first string and thesecond string, where the one or more beads measure between approximately1/16″ and ⅛″ in diameter. A first foot and a second foot of the firstperson may be aligned with the first string and the second string. Thefoot placement guide may also include pressure sensors. The ball resetapparatus may also include a golf tee, a plurality of golf balls, and aball reservoir. One or more of the plurality of golf balls may includean embedded rf communication transmitter. The system may additionallyfurther include a golf club, which golf club includes an embedded rfcommunication transmitter. Implementations of the described techniquesmay include hardware, a method or process, or computer software on acomputer-accessible medium.

One general aspect includes a method for repetitive training of a golfswing, the method including: a) placing two feet of a first golfer in afirst set of respective positions for a first golf swing by the firstgolfer with a first golf club; b) automatically setting a first golfball on a golf tee device in a position within a distance suitable forstriking the golf ball with the first golf club while the two feet ofthe first golfer remain in the first set of respective positions; c)tracking movement of the first golfer through a first golfer swing ofthe golf club causing the golf club to impact the first golf ball; d)tracking flight of the first golf ball resulting from the golf clubimpacting the first golf ball during the first golf swing; storing arepresentation of the flight of the first golf ball in An apparatuscapable of generating a multimedia representation of the flight of thefirst golf ball; f) while the two feet of the first golfer remain in thefirst set of respective positions, automatically placing a second golfball on the golf tee; and g) repeating steps b) through e) for thesecond golf ball while the two feet of the first golfer continue toremain in the first set of respective positions. Other embodiments ofthis aspect include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, andcomputer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, eachconfigured to perform the actions of the methods.

In some implementations, the method may additionally include the step ofcomparing the tracked movement of the first golfer to a desired golfswing form via the steps of: (1) using a motion detector apparatus totrack a motion of a second golfer performing a second golf swingincluding the desired golf swing form and (2) comparing an arc ofmovement of the first golfer through the first golf swing and an arc ofmovement of the second golfer. This implementation may further includethe step of displaying on a screen a projected trajectory of the firstgolf ball after the first golfer swing. This implementation may furtherinclude the step of displaying on a screen deviations in movementpatterns between the first golfer and the second golfer. The method mayfurther include placing one or more guide discs proximate to the firstgolfer. In such implementations, a position of at least one of the guidediscs relative to the first golfer may be approximately the same as theposition of the end of the second golfer's backswing. Similarly, inother implementations, a position of at least one of the guide discsrelative to the first golfer may be approximately the same as theposition of the end of the second golfer's follow through. In otherimplementations, the angular orientation of at least one of the guidediscs relative to a face of a golf club held by the first golfer may beapproximately the same as the angular orientation of a face of a golfclub held by the second golfer. Even without guide discs, the step ofreplacing a second golf ball on the golf tee may be performed using aball reset apparatus. In such implementations, the ball reset apparatusmay include the golf tee, a plurality of golf balls, and a ballreservoir. Implementations of the described techniques may includehardware, a method or process, or computer software on acomputer-accessible medium.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, that are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of thedisclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure:

FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate portions of the system during usage, inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user guide, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method for repetitivelytraining a golf stroke.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a system in accordancewith the present disclosure.

The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless clearly indicatedotherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following sections, detailed descriptions of examples and methodsof the disclosure will be given. The description of both preferred andalternative examples though thorough are exemplary only, and it isunderstood that to those skilled in the art that variations,modifications, and alterations may be apparent. It is therefore to beunderstood that the examples do not limit the broadness of the aspectsof the underlying disclosure as defined by the claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates system 150 to train an athlete to repetitivelyperform a sporting motion (e.g., a golf swing) in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. System 150 illustrates aninstructor such as professional player (“Pro”) 104 creating a motioncapture of a physical activity such as a golf swing, to be viewed orreplayed either in real time or later from a recording by a studentplayer such as golfer 110. The motion capture may involve apparatus suchas a video recorder or infrared sensor, optionally combined with amotion capture suit and associated analytics (e.g., to create a vectormodel or 3-D model of Pro 104). Although system 150 will be describedwith reference to training for a golf swing, system 150 is adaptable totrain for other kinds of sporting motions such as a tennis serve, abaseball swing, etc.

System 150 is usable to train golfer 110 to maintain proper posturewhile practicing multiple golf swings. In particular, system 150 trainsgolfer 110 to maintain their body in a specific quantifiable positionwith little or no movement of certain body parts (e.g., no movement offeet) while swinging a golf club 114. In some embodiments, system 150accomplishes this through foot position markers 112. In someembodiments, foot markers 112 are placed in the correct stance for thedesired golf swing. In other embodiments, foot position markers 112comprise a means for detecting pressure profiles, such as scales orpressure sensors, to monitor the golfer's 110 weight distribution. Insome embodiments, system 150 can notify golfer 110 of incorrect bodymovement or weight distribution through audio notifications, such as analarm, or visual notifications, such as a display on screen 153indicating the difference between ideal body positioning and thegolfer's 110 actual body positioning. By ensuring that golfer 110 hasgood body positioning on each swing, embodiments thus use repetition todevelop “muscle memory” in golfer 110.

System 150 is spread across two locations or subsystems. In someembodiments, an instructional swing may be recorded at a first locationby a Pro 104, along with a computer-based recording and analysis system103, and a display screen 105. Display screen 105 may be used to show agolfer's eye view of a golf course, i.e., a contextual view of a golfcourse as seen by a golfer, such as at a tee or other spot such as afairway or a sand trap. Pro 104 demonstrates a motion of a suitableinstructional swing and hits a golf ball as if Pro 104 were physicallyat a golf course shown on display screen 105. Contemporaneously,recording and analysis system 103 records the movements (or lackthereof) by Pro 104 as the golf ball is struck. The recorded movementsmay include a swing pattern (e.g., a profile versus time of a positionof the golf club or of certain body parts (e.g., hands, feet, shoulders,etc.)) of Pro 104. A net, screen or other ball catching device may beused to capture the struck golf ball before the ball can strike anobject or person and do any damage. The images captured by recording andanalysis system 103, and a record of golf course images shown when agolf ball was struck, may be stored in a records database 106 asinstructional examples of a repetitive sporting motion. A primarycommunication interface (e.g., a USB link or Ethernet link) may link therecording and analysis system 103 to records database 106.

Records database 106 may be accessible from a remote location by use ofa secondary communication interface 151, such as an Ethernet interfaceor a wireless interface. Specifically, records database 106 may beaccessible via communicative interface 151 from a second location 100that forms a portion of system 150.

Second location 100 or subsystem is where golfer 110 can practice therepetitive sporting motion, based upon instructional examples providedby Pro 104. For example, second location 100 may include a videosubsystem 102 to display on a screen various contextual views of a golfcourse, the context being relevant to instructional examples of therepetitive sporting motion. Optionally, video display subsystem 102 alsomay include a second motion capture apparatus (similar to the firstmotion capture apparatus, used in connection with Pro 104) to recordgolfer 110's multiple sequential sporting motions as golfer 110 attemptsto perform the same repetitive sporting motion as that had been recordedby Pro 104. Video display subsystem 102 may include a projector 152, ascreen 153, and one or more optional cameras 154. The screen 153 may bepositioned to receive impact from golfer 110's golf ball.

Second location 100 also may include a foot placement guide 101 to showproper posture, i.e., where golfer 110 should place his/her feet whenperforming the repetitive sporting motion. For example, the footplacement guide may include a mark placed on the floor, or visible onthe floor, such as an outline of each foot, or an “X” for each foot, andso forth.

In some embodiments, foot placement guide 101 may include markings onthe turf-like covering that are usable by golfer 110 to gauge his/heralignment compared to an ideal alignment. The alignment may be usefulfor aligning the feet of golfer 110 and/or a golf club 114 held bygolfer 110. When aligning a golf club 114, the alignment may beindicated by matching lines on the golf club 114 to lines on turf duringa swing, or by wear mark on the golf club 114.

In some embodiments, video display subsystem 102 may be used to recordfoot alignment of golfer 110. The foot alignment may be captured by,e.g., a camera image which may further include coordinates (e.g., an (X,Y) graticule), or by pressure sensors. Pressure sensors may capture theleft and right feet separately, and may capture different portions ofeach foot separately (e.g., heel pressure and toe pressure). Thepressure measurements may be captured as a profile during a golf swing,such that a graph of pressure during the golf swing may be produced. Forexample, if a swing takes 0.1 seconds, and at least 5 pressuremeasurements during the swing are desired, then the pressuremeasurements should be made at a rate of at least 50 measurements persecond per sensor.

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may include anability to track separate users, e.g., in a multi-user environment, sothat performance and progress of multiple golfers may be tracked overtime.

In some embodiments, system 150 may relate the measured movement ofgolfer 110 to a physics model in order to provide feedback to golfer 110about suggested changes (e.g., to a stance, to a club grip, etc.) inorder to achieve an optimal golf swing.

In some embodiments, system 150 may be tuned to provide advice orinstructions for a specific golf course and/or for a specific hole at agolf course. Such instructions may be useful for, e.g., training for animportant golf tournament (e.g., the Masters Golf Tournament), in orderto provide an optimal swing for golfer 110, for the specific golf courseand/or for a specific hole.

In some embodiments, system 150 may be programmed to simulate variouswind and/or moisture conditions. For example, wind may be modeled asblowing from a configurable direction and configurable mean speed. Windgusts may be modeled further by including a variable component to thewind, e.g., a variable change in speed lasting several seconds at atime. Moisture conditions may be modeled by, e.g., how a golf ballbounces, rolls, and/or “bites” on a green or fairway.

As noted earlier, embodiments help promote development of “musclememory” in golfer 110 in order to improve the mechanics of a repetitivesporting motion. Repeatability without changing body stance helps buildthe muscle memory. It is expected that typically hundreds of swings in arelatively short amount of time (e.g., within 1 hour in one session)would be effective.

Some embodiments may store settings and progress by golfer 110 on aper-golfer basis, in order to allow golfer 110 to resume training at alater time or date, at or near a point at which golfer 110 had stoppedtraining. For example, embodiments may allow golfer 110 to swing 100times per day for several days in a row on a particular hole at aparticular course.

Some embodiments may allow golfer 110 to store a best swing at each holefor a particular course. In another aspect, some implementations mayinclude accelerometers, sensors, transmitters, transducers or otherdevice that enables details of a swing motion to be registered by anautomated apparatus and track the arc of the swing. For example, one ormore such devices may be attached to one or both of a golfer's arms,torso or other body part and a relative movement may be recorded.

Some embodiments may allow a server to track and save the actions of Pro104 or golfer 110 for later analysis. Server functions may be embeddedin recording and analysis system 103, or a separate server may belocated at second location 100, depending upon what actions,measurements, and/or parameters are being stored. Some embodiments mayinclude sensors embedded into a golf club and/or a golf ball, to measureparameters such as swing velocity, acceleration, swing angles, balltrajectory, ball spin, and so forth. The golf club and/or golf ball mayinclude an embedded RF communication capability (e.g., near fieldcommunications, Bluetooth™, etc.) in order to transmit the parametersmeasured by the golf club and/or golf ball. The parameters may includean identification of the equipment (e.g., manufacturer and model numberof the golf ball and/or golf club), to be saved along with the record ofperformance saved by system 150. Other parameters, conditions, ormeasurements that may be saved may include tee type, tee height, swingspecifics (e.g., arc path or swing, back swing line to backswing point,end point (i.e., follow though swing)), position of eyes of golfer 110,velocity of certain parts of the golf club (e.g., at the head) when thegolf ball is struck, as well as during other points within the golfswing such as before the ball is struck and during the follow-through,angle of club in relation to feet and/or ball and/or desired destinationpoint, and so forth.

In some embodiments, the saved actions, measurements, and/or parametersdata may be analyzed using “big data” and/or artificial intelligence(AI) techniques. For example, AI techniques may involve unstructuredquery of variables and results. These analytics may be displayed onscreen 153 in some embodiments.

FIG. 2A illustrates a more detailed view of golfer 110 preparing tostrike golf ball 201, with the help of foot placement guide 101 and theposture it indicates. FIG. 2B further illustrates usage of an automatedgolf ball feed and placement apparatus 203, which is used to place golfball 201 in position for being struck by golfer 110 during practice,e.g., by placing golf ball 201 upon a tee 205. Golf ball feed andplacement apparatus 203 includes a reservoir 207, which storesadditional golf balls 201 until they are needed by golfer 110.

Tee 205 may have approximately the same dimensions as a traditional woodor plastic tee. However, unlike a traditional tee, tee 205 may be aflexible golf ball holder fixedly attached to a base and coupled to asensor. The sensor may sense when a golf ball 201 has been struck (e.g.,by detection of motion by tee 205, or change in weight upon tee 205). Inusage, when golfer 110 strikes one golf ball 201, the fixedly attachmentof tee 205 to a base facilitates keeping tee 205 in place for a nextswing. The sensor may trigger golf ball feed and placement apparatus 203to retrieve another golf ball from reservoir 207, and place theretrieved golf ball 201 onto tee 205. Golf ball feed and placementapparatus 203 is useful to reduce the time needed to put another golfball 201 in position to be struck by golfer 110, so that morerepetitions of the repetitive sporting motion may be practiced by golfer110 within a given amount of time. Additionally, in some embodiments,the tee 205 may have an adjustable height relative to the ground.

FIG. 3 illustrates a foot placement guide 101 in greater detail. In someembodiments, foot placement guide 101 rests on a standing mat 301. Thestanding mat 301 may comprise a material designed to be comfortable tostand on, such as rubber, carpeting materials, vinyl, or wood, or elsemay comprise a material designed to simulate a golfing environment, suchas natural or artificial grass, turf, or sand. Foot placement guide 101may include an indication of posture, i.e., where and with whatorientation (e.g., direction the toes are pointed, amount of splay,etc.) golfer 110 should place his/her feet. The indication may be madefrom physical objects placed on a floor, e.g., adjustable string withremovable attachment devices, pins in holes, tacks in substrate, ahook-and-loop fastener such as Velcro®, beads 303 used as a offset tohold the string above turf ( 1/16 inch to ⅛ diameter with hole inmiddle), and so forth. In an exemplary embodiment, foot placement guide101 may be secured to the standing mat 301 by strings with clips 302 onthe ends of the strings, and beads 303 to provide setoff between thestrings and the standing mat 301. This is highly desirable becauseexisting implementations of foot placement guides are easily disturbedif, for example, golfer 110 accidentally hits the string with their footor the club. The combination of clips 302 and beads 303 can prevent sucha disruption. In other embodiments, foot placement guide 101 may beformed from a light or image projected onto the floor. For example, thelight or image may be spot lights, LEDs light, laser light, an image orshadow of an image made from a lens cover, and so forth.

Golf ball 201 sits on a striking surface 310 adjacent to the standingmat 301. The striking surface 310 may include a turf-like covering tosimulate a golf course (e.g., a teeing ground, a fairway, a puttinggreen, etc.). In some embodiments, a surface simulating a sand trap maybe provided.

In exemplary embodiments, the foot placement guide 101 may additionallycomprise one or more guide discs 320-322. As shown in FIG. 3, one of theguide discs, face disc 320, may correspond to a desired orientation ofthe face 323 of the chosen golf club. In some embodiments, a backswingdisc 321 corresponds to a desired orientation and distance of the golfer110's backswing. Those skilled in the art will understand that amateurgolfers frequently utilize shallow swings, and backswing disc 321assists in fixing this problem. In some embodiments, a follow throughdisc 322 is provided, corresponding to the direction and magnitude ofthe follow through of the golf swing. This is particularly useful whensetting up a desired fade or cut. For example, a golfer on a golf courseseeking to hit a fade shot might pick a target a few feet ahead of thetee (e.g., a leaf) that is in line with the left edge of the fairway.The golfer may treat that target as the center stripe for the swing, butchange the direction of the face of the club slightly to the right. Thepresent disclosure accommodates this practice by equating the target tothe follow through disc 322. Changing the orientation of these guidediscs 320-322 relative to each other and relative to the golfer 110'sstance may assist in perfecting the golf swing. For example, a golferseeking to drive a ball straight may orient the discs differently than agolfer who is chipping the ball or desiring to hit the ball with a draw.The guide discs 320-322 also assist in remote instruction of golfer 110.For example, suppose golfer 110 wants to learn how to hit FamousGolfer's Fade Shot. An instructor (e.g., the Pro 104) canremotely—either live or by pre-recorded video—instruct the golfer 110 onthe appropriate placement of the guide discs 320-322, according to howFamous Golfer orients her swing and stance when setting up her FadeShot.

In some embodiments, one or more of the guide discs 320-322 may bereplaced by other visual aids. By way of nonlimiting example, this mayinclude a laser pointed to the golf ball 201 to indicate the correctpoint on which to strike the golf ball 201.

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure are usable forrapid prototyping, in order to quickly evaluate the performance ofcertain equipment (e.g., golf balls, golf clubs, custom clubs used by agolfer), incorporate improvements based upon the evaluation, and retestusing the improved equipment. Rapid prototyping may work better when theequipment is being used and tested by a skilled golfer (e.g., pro golfer104) so that changes in measured performance is more likely to be due tochanges in equipment design rather than variations in performance by thegolfer. Alternatively, in some embodiments, golfer performance may benormalized or calibrated by usage of measured golfer performance (e.g.,estimated distance traveled by a struck golf ball may be normalized orcalibrated by the measured club head speed).

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method 400 for repetitively training agolf swing. At step 401, two feet of a first golfer are placed in afirst set of respective positions. By way of nonlimiting examples, therespective positions may be determined by reference to structures likethe foot placement guide 101, or by projected light. The respectivepositions may also be on top of pressure-sensitive panels, which in someembodiments can notify the first golfer of incorrect weight distributionof the first golfer's feet. Such notifications may include coloredlights on the panels.

At step 402, a first golf ball is automatically set on a golf tee. Byway of non-limiting example, this may be accomplished using aspecialized ball reset apparatus. In some embodiments, the ball resetapparatus comprises the tee and one or more golf balls storedapproximately adjacent to the tee. In an exemplary embodiment, the oneor more golf balls are stored in a reservoir underneath and next to thetee. An ordinary tee is a small peg with a top circular portion and abottom spike portion. The tee is used by driving the spiked portion intothe ground and placing a golf ball on the top circular portion. The teecontemplated in this exemplary embodiment instead comprises acylindrical portion of approximately uniform thickness that is installedunderground and raised above the ground through a hole in the ground. Inthis exemplary embodiment, the ball reservoir is connected to this hole.In this embodiment, at steps 402 and 405, the tee retracts into thehole, allowing a ball to move from the ball reservoir to the top of thetee. The tee then rises back above ground with a ball mounted on top,ready to be struck by the first golfer.

At step 403, the golfer 110 takes a golf swing, and the golfer 110'smovement is tracked through the swing. By way of nonlimiting example,this may be accomplished by a video recorder or infrared sensor,optionally combined with a motion capture suit and associated analytics(e.g., to create a vector model or 3-D model of Pro 104). In someembodiments, undesirable deviations from the desired swing profiledetermined in step 401 may trigger warnings to the golfer 110. Thesewarnings may include, without limitation, audio cues such as a loudbuzzer, visual cues displayed on a display screen (e.g., screen 153), orvisual cues displayed on the golf ball 201.

At step 404, the flight of the first golf ball is tracked. This may beaccomplished by a video recorder, infrared sensor, or RF or other EMFtransmitters in the golf ball. In these embodiments, a computer inlogical connection with the appropriate receiver receives the signalfrom the golf ball and has software operative to store the locationand/or trajectory of the golf ball. Accordingly, a representation of theflight of the first golf ball is stored and tracked. In someembodiments, this representation is displayed on a screen proximate tothe golfer.

At step 405, a second golf ball is automatically placed on the golf tee.In some embodiments, this is accomplished using the same automated meansas used at step 402. Accordingly, at the conclusion of step 404, thegolfer 110 is in the same position as they were in at the start of step402, prior to swinging the golf club. This allows the golfer 110 to makeadjustments based on the feedback and flight display provided in step404 and take another golf swing, while isolating all other variablesthat may impact the swing, such as weight distribution and footplacement. Steps 402-405 may then be repeated as many times asnecessary. It is important to emphasize that the speed of repetitionenabled by method 400, combined with its feedback systems and ability toisolate the mechanics that need to be trained, allow for optimaltraining of muscle memory in golfer 110.

Optionally, at step 406, the tracked movement of the first golfer may becompared to the tracked movement of a second golfer. The second golfermay be an instructor, such as Pro 104. In some embodiments, the swing ofthe second golfer is determined by one or more of: motion capture,accelerometer in the second golfer's golf club, accelerometer in thegolf ball, geolocation sensors in the golf ball or golf club, Bluetooth,IR, other sensors, or the detection means used in step 403. In someembodiments, this swing profile is stored in analysis system 103. Insome embodiments, the swing profile is further determined with referenceto one or more guide discs, such as discs indicating an appropriatedirection and magnitude of the backswing and/or the follow through. Insome embodiments, a display connected to the analysis system or computerand proximate to the first golfer may show the first golfer the movementof the second golfer. In some embodiments, the display may also show thefirst golfer deviations between the movement of the first golfer and themovement of the second golfer.

Referring now to FIG. 5, additional embodiments of the presentdisclosure are illustrated. In some examples, the virtual trainingapparatus and methods as described may also include features for virtualreality and for remote real time visualization and feedback. A system ofreal time cameras such as cameras 501, 502 and 503 may observe theenvironment of the trainee from multiple perspectives, such as in anon-limiting perspective from the rear, front and side. These real timecameras may provide a global view or overall view of the trainee andtheir environment rather than a focused view of active portions of theuser and environment. The cameras may be single video camera modules orin some examples, may be couples of cameras to provide a stereoscopicperspective from one or more of the vantage points. The cameras maycommunicate their image signals to viewable screens of the trainee orover connections to a remote viewer such as a trainer.

In some examples, a display screen 510 and audio speakers 511 mayprovide video and audio feedback to a trainee such as golfer 110. Thetrainer at a remote location may choose the audio feed, or provide splitscreens of multiple video output that can be communicated to thetrainee. In some examples, the trainee may wear a headset 520 withdisplay capabilities which may supplement the display screen 510 orreplace it. The headset may be wirelessly connected or tethered to theuser. The remote trainer may likewise interact with the display systemand provide audio and visual feedback to the trainer. In some examples,the headset may be used to provide live video feedback, recorded videofeedback or augmented reality visual feedback. In the augmented realityvisual feedback, simulated images, graphics, and textual data may bedisplayed to the viewer. In other examples, augmented reality visualfeedback may overlay displayed images. In still further examples, theheadset 520 may include a semi-transparent view screen in which the usermay view his environment while also seeing superimposed imagery, video,text and the like. The headset 520 may also include a camera or a set ofcameras 521 deployed for stereoscopic viewing and oriented to the viewplane of the trainee, such as golfer 110.

In still further examples, the golfer 110 may wear haptic devices 530and 531. There may be a multitude of haptic devices that the golfer maywear at his wrist, forearm, legs and the like. A remote viewer may beable to engage the haptic devices to give sensory feedback from a remotelocation. In a non-limiting example, the trainer may describe to atrainee a movement of their leg that would result in a better result,and while the trainer describes the movement a simulated repositioningmay be displayed in the headset 520 or on the display screen 510. And,then the trainer may send a signal to the haptic device over thecommunications systems to give a “haptic nudge” to the haptic device onthe leg that the user should move.

A number of embodiments of the present disclosure have been described.While this specification contains many specific implementation details,there should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anydisclosures or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures specific to particular embodiments of the present disclosure.While embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein by wayof example using several illustrative drawings, those skilled in the artwill recognize the present disclosure is not limited to the embodimentsor drawings described. It should be understood the drawings and thedetailed description thereto are not intended to limit the presentdisclosure to the form disclosed, but to the contrary, the presentdisclosure is to cover all modification, equivalents and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of embodiments of the presentdisclosure as defined by the appended claims.

The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and arenot meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or theclaims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in apermissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather thanthe mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words“include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including but not limitedto. To facilitate understanding, like reference numerals have been used,where possible, to designate like elements common to the figures.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted the terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment can also be implemented incombination in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitablesub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

Similarly, while method steps may be depicted in the drawings in aparticular order, this should not be understood as requiring that suchoperations be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequentialorder, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achievedesirable results.

Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment can also be implemented incombination in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitablesub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodimentsdescribed above should not be understood as requiring such separation inall embodiments, and it should be understood that the described programcomponents and systems can generally be integrated together in a singlesoftware product or packaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described.Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In somecases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a differentorder and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processesdepicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require theparticular order show, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallelprocessing may be advantageous. Nevertheless, it will be understood thatvarious modifications may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the claimed disclosure.

In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may beadvantageous. Nevertheless, it will be understood that variousmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe claimed disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus to provide training for arepetitive sporting motion, comprising: a first subsystem, comprising: adisplay positioned to receive impact from a first ball that has beenlaunched from ball positioning apparatus and to show an image visible toa first person; a motion capture apparatus to capture multiplesequential sporting motions by the first person; a motion detector totrack a first body motion of the first person during a first sportingmotion interacting with the first ball at a set position; a processorcoupled to a database, the processor programmed to save a capturedmotion path based upon the first body motion, an identification of theimage and an identification of the first body motion; a ball resetapparatus to present the first ball in the set position and provide asecond ball in the set position based upon removal of the first ballfrom the set position and impacting the display resulting from the firstbody motion; the processor is additionally operative to receive from themotion detector a tracking of a second body motion interacting with thesecond ball at the set position; and a communications device; a secondsubsystem with a communication link to the first subsystem, the secondsubsystem comprising: a display to show the image to a second person; amotion display to show a motion to the second person; a motion captureapparatus to capture a sporting motion by the second person, responsibleto an image; and a comparison apparatus to capture the sporting motionby the first person with the sporting motion by the second person; athird subsystem with a communication link to the second subsystem, thethird subsystem comprising: at least a first camera device to capture aview of the first person from at least a first view perspective; and atleast a first display screen, wherein content of the display screen maybe controlled by the second person and viewed by the first person; and afoot placement guide comprising a mat, a first and a second stringremovably attached to the mat, wherein the first string is placed atapproximately a ninety degree angle with respect to the second string.2. The apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising one or more swingguide discs placed proximate to the first person.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the foot placement guide further comprises one or morebeads fixedly attached to one or more of: the first string and thesecond string, wherein the one or more beads measure betweenapproximately 1/16″ and ⅛″ in diameter.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the foot placement guide further comprises pressure sensors. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a golf club, which golfclub comprises an embedded RF communication transmitter.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first camera device of the thirdsubsystem is a stereo camera system.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first display screen is comprised within a virtual realityheadset.
 8. A method for repetitive training of a golf swing, the methodcomprising: a) placing two feet of a first golfer in a first set ofrespective positions for a first golf swing by the first golfer with afirst golf club; b) placing one or more guide discs proximate to thefirst golfer; c) automatically setting a first golf ball on a golf teedevice in a position within a distance suitable for striking the golfball with the first golf club while the two feet of the first golferremain in the first set of respective positions; c) tracking movement ofthe first golfer through a first golfer swing of the golf club causingthe golf club to impact the first golf ball; d) tracking flight of thefirst golf ball resulting from the golf club impacting the first golfball during the first golf swing; e) storing a representation of theflight of the first golf ball in a storage device for retrieval by aprocessor capable of generating a multimedia representation of theflight of the first golf ball; f) while the two feet of the first golferremain in the first set of respective positions, automatically placing asecond golf ball on the golf tee; h) repeating steps c) through f) forthe second golf ball while the two feet of the first golfer continue toremain in the first set of respective positions; i) comparing thetracked movement of the first golfer to a desired golf swing form viathe steps of: using a motion detector apparatus to track a motion of asecond golfer performing a second golf swing comprising the desired golfswing form; and comparing an arc of movement of the first golfer throughthe first golf swing and an arc of movement of the second golfer; j)viewing at a remote location at least a first image overview from acamera device, wherein the camera device is located to capture one of arear view, a front view or a side view of the first golfer and asurrounding area of the first golfer; k) providing feedback from theremote location to the first golfer via one or more of an audiopresentation on a speaker or a video presentation on a first display. 9.The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of displaying on ascreen a projected trajectory of the first golf ball after the firstgolfer swing.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step ofdisplaying on a screen deviations in movement patterns between the firstgolfer and the second golfer.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein thestep of replacing a second golf ball on the golf tee is performed usinga ball reset apparatus.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the ballreset apparatus comprises the golf tee, a plurality of golf balls, and aball reservoir.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein a position of atleast one of the guide discs relative to the first golfer isapproximately the same as the position of an end of the second golfer'sbackswing.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein a position of at least oneof the guide discs relative to the first golfer is approximately thesame as the position of the end of the second golfer's follow through.15. The method of claim 13, wherein angular orientation of at least oneof the guide discs relative to a face of a golf club held by the firstgolfer is approximately the same as the angular orientation of a face ofa golf club held by the second golfer.
 16. The method of claim 8,wherein the camera device comprises a stereoscopic camera.
 17. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the first display is comprised in a virtualreality headset.
 18. An apparatus to provide training for a repetitivesporting motion, comprising: a radio frequency (RF) communicationtransmitter embedded in at least one of: a first golf ball and a golfclub; a first subsystem, comprising: a display positioned to receiveimpact from the first ball that has been launched from ball positioningapparatus via contact with the golf club and to show an image visible toa first person; a motion capture apparatus to capture multiplesequential sporting motions by the first person; a motion detector totrack a first body motion of the first person during a first sportingmotion interacting with the first ball at a set position; a processorcoupled to a database, the processor programmed to save a capturedmotion path based upon the first body motion, an identification of theimage and an identification of the first body motion; a ball resetapparatus comprising a golf tee, a plurality of golf balls, and a golfreservoir, wherein the ball reset apparatus is operable to present thefirst ball in the set position and provide a second ball in the setposition based upon removal of the first ball from the set position andimpacting the display resulting from the first body motion; theprocessor is additionally operative to receive from the motion detectora tracking of a second body motion interacting with the second ball atthe set position; and a communications device; and a second subsystemwith a communication link to the first subsystem, the second subsystemcomprising: a display to show the image to a second person; a motiondisplay to show a motion to the second person; a motion captureapparatus to capture a sporting motion by the second person, responsibleto an image; and a comparison apparatus to capture the sporting motionby the first person with the sporting motion by the second person; and athird subsystem with a communication link to the second subsystem, thethird subsystem comprising: at least a first camera device to capture aglobal view of the first person from at least a first view perspective;and at least a first display screen, wherein content of the displayscreen may be controlled by the second person and displayed to the firstperson.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the RF communicationtransmitter is embedded in the first golf ball.
 20. The system of claim18, wherein the RF communication transmitter is embedded in the golfclub.